Wild Wolves Are Bouncing Back From Extinction in Europe
Just two decades ago there were no wolves in Germany, after they were hunted to extinction a century ago.
“Wolves were not deliberately reintroduced into the wild in Germany, but returned naturally. They were first spotted 18 years ago, having wandered across the border from Poland,” reports the Telegraph.
They have since established a population of some 150 in eastern Germany and another 50 are roaming in western parts of the country.
A pack of wild wolves has been photographed roaming just 30 miles from the German city of Hamburg, in a sign of the species' remarkable comeback in northern Europe.
Just two decades ago there were no wolves in Germany, after they were hunted to extinction in the early years of the 20th century.
But now the population has become so extensive that a trainee forestry official was able to photograph a pack of eight openly wandering a woodland path just 30 miles outside Germany's second largest city.
"The wolves were only 80 meters away from me," Robert de Mol, the 26-year-old trainee, told Bild newspaper. "They weren't afraid, but they were watching me. I was pretty excited."
Wolves were not deliberately reintroduced into the wild in Germany, but returned naturally. They were first spotted in 1998, after they wandered across the border from neighbouring Poland, and have since established a population of some 150 in eastern Germany.
Their numbers are now expanding into western parts of the country. Some 50 are believed to be roaming the state of Lower Saxony in five different packs, and there have been sightings as far west as North Rhine-Westphalia.
Though their presence has angered farmers whose livestock they have killed, there has been relatively little conflict between wolves and humans in eastern Germany so far, where the areas they roam are sparsely inhabited by people.
But their expansion westward means they are moving into more densely populated areas of the country. Over the weekend a wolf was killed by a car on the autobahn south of Hamburg.
"The wolves live here, and multiply," Volker Einhorn, forestry district manager for the area near Hamburg, said. "They see us as guests in their territory, they don't run away.
"Young cubs in particular are curious who is in her living room and bedroom."
Wolves are protected in Germany, and farmers whose livestock they kill receive compensation from the authorities.
Wolves have made a comeback across much of northern and western Europe since 1950, with wild populations returning to France, Sweden and Norway as well as Germany.
Last year scientists were able to confirm their return to Denmark for the first time in 200 years.
“Wolves were not deliberately reintroduced into the wild in Germany, but returned naturally. They were first spotted 18 years ago, having wandered across the border from Poland,” reports the Telegraph.
A pack of wild wolves has been photographed roaming just 30 miles from the German city of Hamburg, in a sign of the species' remarkable comeback in northern Europe.
Just two decades ago there were no wolves in Germany, after they were hunted to extinction in the early years of the 20th century.
But now the population has become so extensive that a trainee forestry official was able to photograph a pack of eight openly wandering a woodland path just 30 miles outside Germany's second largest city.
"The wolves were only 80 meters away from me," Robert de Mol, the 26-year-old trainee, told Bild newspaper. "They weren't afraid, but they were watching me. I was pretty excited."
Wolves were not deliberately reintroduced into the wild in Germany, but returned naturally. They were first spotted in 1998, after they wandered across the border from neighbouring Poland, and have since established a population of some 150 in eastern Germany.
Their numbers are now expanding into western parts of the country. Some 50 are believed to be roaming the state of Lower Saxony in five different packs, and there have been sightings as far west as North Rhine-Westphalia.
Though their presence has angered farmers whose livestock they have killed, there has been relatively little conflict between wolves and humans in eastern Germany so far, where the areas they roam are sparsely inhabited by people.
But their expansion westward means they are moving into more densely populated areas of the country. Over the weekend a wolf was killed by a car on the autobahn south of Hamburg.
"The wolves live here, and multiply," Volker Einhorn, forestry district manager for the area near Hamburg, said. "They see us as guests in their territory, they don't run away.
"Young cubs in particular are curious who is in her living room and bedroom."
Wolves are protected in Germany, and farmers whose livestock they kill receive compensation from the authorities.
Wolves have made a comeback across much of northern and western Europe since 1950, with wild populations returning to France, Sweden and Norway as well as Germany.
Last year scientists were able to confirm their return to Denmark for the first time in 200 years.